Greetings: I am a residential homeowner and I intend to update my oil fired boiler with either a Solaia cast iron 3 pass system (firing rate of .75) or a Burnham MPO series 3 pass system (firing rate of .80). Both will be vented through my chimney (to be relined through a reputable chimney relining company in my area). I have separate bids from two plumbers: one is my oil company (Solaia) and the other is from a reputable plumber (Burnham) who has done several jobs for me, with which I have been satisfied. Both include Becket burners. The Solaia bid has a 40 gallon Lochinvar Squire indirect hot water storage tank, while the Burnham bid has a Burnham 40 gallon indirect hot water storage tank. Assuming that the bids are comparable in price, which do you think is the better system? Also, I read a competing online plumber's rating system that gave Solaia a 3 out of 5; the Burnham a 1 out of 5 and a Trane 3 pass system a 5 out of 5. Should I investigate the Trane (with sound blanket) or are the Solaia and Burnham systems good, efficient, quiet and reliable? This can get very confusing and any help would be appreciated. Any problems encountered with the systems? Any positive or negative experiences would be helpful. Terry, if you have a moment, I would appreciate your input as well!

Burnham has been around a long time and when I look back on the boilers of the past, that had the most service issues, burnham has to be close to the top of the list. That said, and to be fair I have not installed a Burnham in over 30 years though I do work on a bunch of them. Maybe the MPO is good, I really shouldn't have made that statement but I have and always will have a dislike for anything Burnham. As for the Solaria, It's a nice piece of equipment but I worry about getting warranty work or replacement on the unit should it be needed. Make sure the dealer is reputable and has been in business for awhile